Janine Mendes-Franco
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Regional Editor, CaribbeanI am a media producer based in Trinidad and Tobago. I blog at Francomenz and tweet under @j9.
Latest posts by Janine Mendes-Franco
9 February 2012
Trinidad & Tobago
MEP Publishers visits Siparia, a vibrant community that has had a fascinating part to play in the island's history.
Puerto Rico (U.S.)
“What do you say when you meet someone you think is extraordinary? You should say ‘Hi!' and then start a conversation,” says Gil the Jenius, who profiles the extraordinary Andrea Pérez, a speaker at the recently held TEDx San Juan.
Cuba
Iván García writes about the late leader of Las Damas de Blanco, Laura Pollan, recounting a violent assault on the group days before her death and saying: “If they have anything left of humanism and dignity, her assaulters owe a public apology to the family of Laura Pollan Toledo.” Pedazos de la Isla, meanwhile, notes here and here that the violence and intimidation continue.
Trinidad & Tobago
The cocoyea (pronounced Ko-ki-ye) is “the mid rib of the coconut leaf that is stripped with a knife” and has many uses, from bird-catching to kite-flying; in this post, Simply Trini Cooking explains how to make a broom out of it, which he calls “an integral part of our culture.”
8 February 2012
Cuba: Bloggers Say Pope Should Postpone Trip
Cuban bloggers have been making their feelings known about the impending papal visit to Cuba, their main concern being that the Vatican is putting its stamp of approval on the Castro government despite regular reports of human rights violations coming out of the island.
Cuba
“Cell phones have changed our lives,” writes Generation Y, adding: “If, in March of 2008, Raul Castro had imagined the role cell phones would play in Cuba’s incipient civil society, he probably never would have authorized their use.”
Next time we will be there again :)